Banshee2=Voodoo3...
Just a couple of comments. I've been up for too long without sleep, but todays news derserves something said about it.
Banshee was designed to be part of the family and what Zacarias and others have been referering to as Banshee2 is really Voodoo3. The 2d/3d designs appear to have almost exactly the same functionality. DVD, Dual Pipe and RAMDAC appear to be the two major technology upgrades. Because of the Voodoo3 marketing move (of which I wholly approve) it looks like we will be seeing "little orphan Banshee".
Announcing this far ahead of time is stupid for reasons Ballard has already stated. (He should stick with one strategy or the other.) I believe we'll see Voodoo3 in Q1, however. I now believe that the move from Q1 to Q2 for Voodoo3 was due to Ballard resetting expectations with the public. This solves the retail issues and makes them look like heroes in the analysts eyes. Smooth move if this is correct.
32 bit isn't probably that much better than 22 bit dithered but 3dfx should have learned their lesson with AGP 2x. Sometimes that's just how the game is played.
All-in-all Banshee2 (Voodoo3) has exceeded my wildest expectations for this product. I expected Banshee2 to be a .25u 2 tmu, 32 bit, AGP 2x solution, and I think that's what everybody else was expecting too. The dual pipe and DVD are incredible additions.
The WHQL news has been a constant worry of mine that has been laid to rest. Thank god.
Ballard has already mentioned that capacity to serve OEM customers is a major issue. I believe we will see more big OEMs as 3dfx hits the sweet spot in production.
With much of the uncertainty now mitigated this stock looks glaringly undervalued to me. It seems obvious now that they will be taking serious part in the OEM market in 1999. Even with all this, I think the best is yet to come. Set tops, Rampage, and a wide open OEM market look enticing.
Pat
P.S. What is the real-world performance of the Fury Chip? Does it hold its own? |
